DESCRIPTION
A low cost, low impedance, tachometer/generator utilizing a single bobbin-wound coil which exhibits improved linearity.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a tachometer/generator which includes a rotor and a low cost stator including first and second sets of spaced apart stator poles which are formed from laminations and wherein the poles of the first set of laminations are offset one magnetic pole pitch from the poles of the second set of laminations. The rotor includes north and south poles thereon which respectively simultaneously align with the first and second sets of stator poles.
BACKGROUND
Tachometer/generators are well known in the art and are utilized to establish a signal indicative of the relative rotation between the rotor and stator of the tachometer/generator. In known tachometer/generators, complicated skein windings were utilized to provide poles of alternating polarity on the stator. Skein windings are time consuming and expensive. Attempts to provide simplified low cost tachometer/generators have suffered from high output impedance due to the fact that the stator teeth do not simultaneously align over each magnetic pole on the rotor. Additionally, previous designs, which attempted to simplify the structure, resulted in a non-linear output from the tachometer/generator which, in part, was due to eddy current losses in the stator teeth and in the flux return path behind the coil which forms a shorted turn.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The tachometer/generator of the present invention is designed to reduce assembly costs while maintaining a low impedance, reasonably linear output. The tachometer/generator utilizes first and second sets of laminated stator poles wherein one set is offset one magnetic pole pitch from the other set.
The present invention provides a new and improved tachometer/generator including an annular rotor member rotatable about an axis of rotation which includes a plurality of magnetic poles thereon disposed about an annular periphery thereof, the plurality of magnetic poles on the rotor member alternating between a first and a second polarity, stator means including first and second annular sets of poles disposed about said axis of rotation with the first set of poles being of a first polarity and axially spaced apart from and circumferentially offset one pole pitch about the axis of rotation from the second set of poles which are of the second polarity, and annular coil means disposed about the axis of rotation between the first and second sets of poles. The rotor, when rotating relative to the stator, effects simultaneous periodic alignment of the first set of poles on the stator with the plurality of poles on the rotor of the second polarity and the second set of poles on the stator with the plurality of poles on the rotor of the first polarity to establish a flux path around the coil means from the plurality of magnetic poles of the first polarity on the rotor, to the second set of stator poles of the second polarity, through the stator, to the first set of stator poles of the first polarity and back to the rotor poles of the second polarity.
Another provision of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tachometer/generator as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the first and second sets of poles on the stator are formed from laminations to minimize eddy current losses in the stator.
Still another provision of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tachometer/generator including a rotor and a stator, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator for generating a signal in dependence upon the relative rotation of the rotor and the stator about an axis of rotation. The stator includes first and second spaced apart sets of laminations, each of which define stator poles thereon, the stator poles of the first set of laminations being offset about said axis of rotation one pole pitch from the stator poles of the second set of laminations, the poles on the first set of laminations being of a first polarity and the poles on the second set of laminations being of the second polarity, opposite to the first polarity, and a single bobbin wound coil disposed between the first and second sets of laminations for having a signal induced therein in dependence upon the relative rotation of the rotor and the stator.
Still a further provision of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tachometer/generator as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the poles on the rotor extend in a radial direction, are disposed about the outer periphery thereof and alternate in polarity between the first and second polarity, with the poles of the first polarity on the rotor periodically coming into alignment with the poles of the second set of laminations of the second polarity, while the poles of the second polarity on the rotor simultaneously align with the poles of the first set of laminations of the first polarity as the rotor rotates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a planner view of the tachometer/generator assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the tachometer/generator of the present invention taken approximately along the
line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a tachometer/
generator 10 is illustrated. The tachometer/
generator 10 includes a
rotor 12 and a
stator assembly 14. The
rotor 12 is rotatable relative to the
stator 14 about an axis of
rotation 16. The
rotor 12 includes a plurality of radially extending
poles 18 and 20 thereon which are alternately disposed about the outer periphery of the
rotor 12. The rotor is formed from a permanent magnetic material and the
poles 18 have a first polarity, while the
poles 20 have a second polarity, opposite to the first polarity. For purposes of convention, the
poles 18 of the first polarity will be designated north poles and the
poles 20 of the second polarity will be designated south poles.
The
stator 14 includes a first set of
poles 22 having a first polarity and a second set of
poles 24 having a second polarity. The first set of
poles 22 will, for convention purposes, be designated north poles, and the second set of
poles 24 will be designated south poles. The
poles 22 and 24 extend radially inwardly from the
stator 14 and are disposed adjacent to and face the
poles 18 and 20 on the
rotor 12. The first and second sets of
poles 22 and 24 are spaced apart in an axial direction, as is more fully illustrated in FIG. 2. The first set of
poles 22 on the
stator 14 is formed from a plurality of
laminations 26, and the second set of
poles 24 is formed from a plurality of laminations 28. The
poles 22 are offset from the
poles 24 by one magnetic pole pitch about the axis of
rotation 16, as is more fully illustrated in FIG. 1. Offsetting
poles 22 from
poles 24 allows the
rotor poles 18 and 20 to simultaneously align with the
poles 22 and 24 on the
stator 14, respectively.
A
coil 30 extends around the outer periphery of the
stator 14 between the first set of
laminations 26 and the second set of laminations 28. Preferably, the
coil 30 is a one-piece, bobbin wound coil which is integrally molded into a
support member 32 which supports the first and second sets of
laminations 26 and 28. As the
rotor 12 rotates relative to the
stator 14, a signal will be induced in
coil 30 which is proportional to the relative rotation between the
rotor 12 and the
stator 14. The simultaneous alignment of
magnetic rotor poles 18 with
stator poles 22 and
magnetic rotor poles 20 with
stator poles 24, provides for a significant portion of the magnetic flux established as
magnetic poles 18 and 20 rotate to be coupled around
coil 30. Thus, the simultaneous alignment of
poles 18 and 22, and 20 and 24 minimizes the required number of turns in
coil 30 due to the improved configuration which allows the north and south poles on the
rotor 12 to simultaneously align with the south and north poles, respectively, on the
stator 14, thereby providing a low impedance flux path.
The
stator 14 is supported by a
support structure 34 which includes an
annular chamber 36 therein which receives and supports the
stator assembly 14. The
support structure 34 is formed from high resistivity iron which acts to complete the magnetic circuit from the
stator poles 22 and 24 around the
coil 30. The use of high resistivity iron suppresses the build up of eddy currents in the iron around the
coil 30, which results in a higher power output from
coil 30, due to the fact that power is not dissipated in the iron via eddy current losses. Preferably, the iron of the
support member 34 will have a resistivity of at least 40 micro ohms per centimeter. A
slot 38 in the
support structure 34 allows the power leads, not illustrated, to exit from the
coil 30, and prevents excessive shorted turn eddy currents in the
support structure 34.
The tachometer/
generator 10 of the present invention is designed to reduce costs while maintaining a low impedance, high power output with reasonable linearity. Prior art designs suffer from high output impedance due to the fact that the stator teeth do not simultaneously align over each magnetic pole on the rotor unless a skein or a similar costly winding is utilized, or from a non-linear output due to eddy current losses in the teeth and in the flux return path behind the coil which forms a shorted turn. The use of the
laminations 26 and 28 to form the
stator poles 22 and 24, which are offset from each other by one magnetic pole pitch, decreases the cost of the tachometer/
generator assembly 10 while minimizing tooth loss caused by eddy currents normally associated with solid teeth. The
laminations 26 and 28 reduce the eddy current losses.
The use of a simple, low cost,
bobbin wound coil 30 provides a distinct advantage over the costly skein windings normally associated with tachometer/generators. The use of a simple
bobbin wound coil 30, which is pressed into a high
resistivity iron assembly 34, completes the magnetic circuit around the
coil 30. The offset of the sets of
laminations 26 and 28, which form
poles 22 and 24, respectively, by one magnetic pole pitch, couple a significant portion of magnetic flux around the
coil 30 to minimize the required number of turns in
coil 30 and decrease the impedance of the flux path.
It is contemplated that the construction of the
stator laminations 26 and 28 could be modified to bend the
poles 22 and 24 inwardly at the end portions thereof towards each other around the
coil 30. Such a (clawtooth) modification would capture more of the magnetic flux and reduce the air gap between the
stator poles 22 formed on the
laminations 26 and the
stator poles 24 formed on the laminations 28.
From the foregoing, it should be apparent that a new and improved tachometer/
generator 10 assembly has been provided which includes an
annular rotor member 12, including a plurality of
magnetic poles 18 and 20 thereon disposed about an annular periphery thereof. The plurality of
magnetic poles 18 and 22 on the
rotor 12 alternate between a north and south polarity, with the
poles 18 having a north polarity and the
poles 20 having a south polarity. A stator means 14 includes first and second annular sets of
poles 22 and 24 disposed thereon about the axis of
rotation 16. The first set of
poles 22 is axially spaced apart from and circumferentially offset from the second sets of
poles 14 one full pitch about the axis of rotation from the second set of
poles 24. An
annular coil 30 is disposed about the axis of rotation. When the
rotor 12 rotates, simultaneous periodic alignment of the
poles 22 on the
stator 14 with the
poles 18 on the
rotor 12 and the
poles 24 on the
stator 14 with the
poles 20 on the
rotor 12 occur. The
rotor 12 when rotating relative to the
stator 14 establishes a flux path from the plurality of
magnetic poles 18 to the plurality of
stator poles 22, through the
stator 14 and high resistivity
iron support member 34 therefor to the
stator poles 24 and back to the
rotor poles 20. The lines of flux in the flux path are maximized when the
magnetic poles 18 on
rotor 12 align with
poles 22 on the
stator 14 and the
magnetic poles 20 on the rotor align with the
stator poles 24 to lower the impedance of the flux path.